


Makua

by bruisingknees



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Baby Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-13
Updated: 2011-04-13
Packaged: 2017-10-18 01:10:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bruisingknees/pseuds/bruisingknees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Catherine is five months pregnant when Danny kisses Steve for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Makua

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted at my livejournal (Deadfics@lj) http://deadfics.livejournal.com/49253.html

Catherine is five months pregnant when Danny kisses Steve for the first time.

The kiss is short but sure, just a sweet press of Danny’s lips against Steve’s. Danny’s pulling Steve’s face down while his thumbs swipe over Steve’s cheekbones in short strokes.

Steve hasn’t been kissed that innocently in a long time.

“Finally, you idiot.” Danny mumbles against Steve’s lips before pulling back and grinning so wide that Steve doesn’t really know what to say.

At first Steve’s too busy, trying to figure out if that _idiot_ was directed at him, to respond (because Danny kissed _him_ here, right?).

Danny’s still touching his face when Steve can muster up enough brain function to reply. He has every intention to declare his confusion about the _idiot_ thing (because, really). But when he opens his mouth something else comes out entirely. “Catherine is pregnant.”

Well. Fuck.

If Steve hadn’t figured out that that’s the wrong thing to say when your partner kisses you the _second_ it slipped passed his lips, the confused look on Danny’s face would have definitely clued him in.

Danny pulls back and lets go entirely, his brow line knitting together in confusion. “Who the hell is Catherine?”

Steve reaches out for Danny, but Danny is stepping back even more now.

Steve sighs. “She’s the woman I got pregnant?”

He has a good reason for not telling Danny sooner. He hasn’t told anyone yet, really, because he only _just_ found out himself.

That doesn’t make it right though, and Steve knows this, feels the raw guilt churn and burn in his stomach. The last couple of weeks, ever time Danny asked him if something was wrong, Steve had just lied through his teeth and said it was _fine_.

“The woman-” Danny repeats tonelessly. “-you got _pregnant_.”

“Danny.”

“No, Steve, shut up for a second. What the hell? What in the actual _hell_?” Danny’s left hand is flying around now, like it’s the motor powering his mind through _processing_ this whole fiasco, while his right hand is rubbing at his temple.

Danny’s eyes suddenly widen in understanding. “Cath…”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“No.” Danny yells, “You don’t know. So what? Were you ever gonna tell me about this? I didn’t even - I didn’t even know you were still _seeing her_ , let alone that there’s a _baby_ coming. What is she? Is she - is she your wife? Are you married to her?”

“No, Danny, I’m not married to her-” Steve starts to say, but he knows it’s no use. There’s really no sense in trying to stop Danny mid-rant.

“'Cause, let me tell you, it’s pretty messed up if even stuff like this falls under your stupid _need to know basis_ thing. What does that even mean? You, Catherine and a pastor - that’s the need to know basis this _sham_ of a marriage is based on?”

And Danny’s not really making sense anymore.

“Danny, what did I tell you about throwing words together?” Steve asks, but the smile he desperately tries to convey feels weird on his lips.

Danny simply shakes his head and walks out of his own apartment, leaving Steve there to sit down heavily on Danny’s bed all by himself.

 

\---

 

“I’m not married to her, we’re not even _dating_ or anything. Last time I saw her was five months ago...”

“When you knocked her up.”

It takes some effort to not wince at that. “Yes.”

Danny makes a face. “You’re a sailor _and_ a boy scout, for fuck sake. I thought that would be a sure fire way to make someone smart enough to _use protection_.”

“I’m a SEAL, Danny, SEAL. ”

Steve steps a little closer to Danny, uncomfortable about the fact that they’re talking about this at work, but Danny doesn’t budge. He stays there unmoving, leaning back against the wall, looking at their computer table like it’s killed his puppies and insulted his mother.

“So what you’re saying here is that some woman is carrying your child but you’re not even dating her? You’re not even _planning_ on marrying her?” Danny hisses.

“You think I didn’t ask her?” Steve asks, defensive.

He might not be happy with _any_ of this but he still knows what’s supposed to come next. He knows that even if he doesn’t want this, he’s undeniably involved now, and he’s not about to back out.

Danny gives him a look that Steve has learned to read as _explain_. It’s not often that Danny will choose a look over _words_ though - each and every excuse to open his mouth is usually enough. Usually.

“She said no,” Steve says, all the anger he’d felt bubbling up just minutes ago leaving him almost instantly.

Danny just shakes his head and goes back to staring ahead.

“Can’t we…?” Steve asks.

It’s supposed to sound something like _Can’t we go back to that moment in your apartment?_ Or even _Can’t we give this a shot any way?_

Instead he finishes with, “...Danny, come on.” And hopes Danny gets it anyway.

“No, Steve.” Danny grits out, angrily pushing away from the wall and storming back into his office, slamming the door behind him.

So, that’s that then.

 

\---

 

The next day Danny doesn’t come to pick up Steve for work. It’s not like they ever actually said they’d carpool to work every day but Danny’s come by every single morning without fail for the last two months anyway. Steve sits on the couch, where he has a perfect view of the driveway for at least ten minutes longer than is acceptable, before climbing in his own car.

He drives by Danny’s place to find Danny’s car gone and he feels like kicking something, _hard_ until it’s reduced to a pulp.

“You’re late.” Is the first thing Danny says when he walks in.

“Is everything alright?” Kono pipes in, and Steve feels uncomfortable under her worried gaze.

“I’m fine. I just had to stop somewhere on my way here.” He tries not to bark.

Kono gives him a short nod and a smile, Danny’s not even paying attention to him anymore.

This is fast becoming their new routine. Where before there would be bickering and bantering and then some more bitching, now there are short, clipped sentences and a whole lot of blank stares. Steve can’t say he’s much of a fan of the cold shoulder and silent treatment Danny is bestowing on him, but as long as it doesn’t affect their working relationship he can’t really bring it up.

So Steve sits behind his desk, doing his own paperwork while he tries not to allow the way Danny laughs when Chin tells him about his weekend, or when Kono tells them all about her horrible blind date that weekend, make him even more angry.

 

Steve realizes what this means when he comes home to an empty house that evening. What it comes down to is that he’s just not used to just being mad. He’s not used to dealing with these waves of anger rippling through him. He’s spent more than the past decade being taught how to channel feelings like hurt and anger and fury into something more. Before they have always been feelings that could be translated into more energy, into more willpower to keep you moving the fuck on.

This time there’s no channeling and he just stays _angry_. The kicker of it all is that he isn’t sure who he’s supposed to be angry _with_ though.

He’s mad at Catherine for not returning his phone calls and ignoring him when he deserves some fucking answers, goddamn it.

He’s mad at Danny for coming up with this _now_. He could’ve kissed Steve months ago, Steve’s been fucking ready _for months_. It just figures that when Steve, for the first time in his life, allows himself to feel _this_ for a guy -actually allows himself to think that maybe this time it’ll be alright because he’s not in the navy anymore, and it’s different times- that it was just a matter of time before it would come back to bite him in the ass, because Catherine tells him that she’s _pregnant_. With a baby. _His baby._

Steve’s mostly mad at himself though. Because what kind of idiot is he anyway? He should have told Danny from the start, he should have _explained_ to Danny from that start that Catherine was just some mutual fun whenever they both needed it. She’s nothing like…

Steve can’t even make himself finish the thought. Instead he takes another sip from the beer he’s been nursing for the past half hour while he’s been mindlessly flipping channels.

 

If there’s one thing Steve’s learned throughout his life though, it’s that there’s no room for should’ves and could’ves. And there _really_ isn’t any room for what-ifs. What-ifs will crawl under your skin and turn round and round in your head until you’re dizzy with them, until you can’t do anything but get drunk stupid every night so you can forget for a couple of hours, and then repeat the whole process the next day.

And what exactly is he doing right now? Drinking bottle after bottle of that expensive beer he bought because Danny thinks the one he used to stack his fridge with tasted like piss, all the while feeling sorry for himself.

Steve stares at the empty bottle of rum he found in an old liquor cabinet a couple of hours earlier. But fuck, he’ll shoot himself in the foot before he turns into _that_ guy. So he gets himself together – or as together as he can, being drunk as fuck on a Wednesday night – and crawls upstairs to bed, to sleep it off.

 

\---

 

It’s only normal that Steve wakes up the next day feeling like he was run over by a fucking truck. He’s _two_ hours late for work, and while he’s supposed to be the boss-man and all that, this is really not the kind of example he wants to set. Not to mention the governor would not approve if she were to find out.

After he’s stumbled in late (and more than a little hung over) Kono keeps shooting him these disapproving looks for the rest of the morning while Chin just shakes his head every once in a while. Danny, because that’s apparently his new thing, ignores him through most of it.

 

“You look like shit, boss.” Kono says for the third time that hour, staring at him over the file she’s reading.

“Yeah.” He just replies, rubbing his hand over his face. “Thanks.”

She looks like she’s about to say something else but Steve’s grateful that she doesn’t. He told her and Chin about Catherine and about the baby a couple of days ago. He took them aside and explained to them that Danny was upset about having to find out the news so late, but that they shouldn’t worry and he’d be his old self in no time. The worried looks they kept giving each other didn’t stop though.

Steve drags himself to the coffee machines and has just enough energy left to silently thank whatever deity is out there that they’re not on an actual, important case. That’s the moment Chin walks in with a giant stack of files in his hands and a smile on his face though.

Thanks Deity, thanks a lot.

 

\---

 

What comes next should really not have surprised Steve. Today is official _Fuck with Steve and then Kick him in the Knees(*)_ Day after all. But when Catherine calls, Steve is still taken off guard enough to fumble with his words.

Also, because it is official FWSATKHITK(*) day, the phone call happens when he’s in the car with Danny, while they’re on their way to interview a suspect.

“Hell-Hello? Catherine?”

Steve is painfully aware of how this is nothing like listening to Danny have a phone-conversation with his ex-wife. Danny always gives everything he’s got. When Danny calls Rachel there is yelling, clipped tones and the really absurd use of the nickname _dear_.

Steve, on the other hand, can’t really do anything but listen to Catherine tell him she’s _fine_ and the baby’s _fine_ (and Steve didn’t even know he was worried about the little guy or girl until he actually feels himself relax slightly in the car seat) and that he has to stop calling her.

“Catherine,” he says, quietly, because this would be so much easier if Danny wasn’t _right there_. “This is my baby too, could you at least keep me updated every once and a while-”

She pretty much hangs up on him after that.

Steve closes his eyes and leans back against the seat, rubbing his temples.

“You’re in the dog house, huh?”

The only reason Steve didn’t say _Danny, don’t_ the moment he hung up, was that he was convinced that Danny’s silent-treatment was still going strong.

“Pretty much.” Steve sighs.

He looks to the side but there’s no sign of that trademark smirk Danny always sports when he’s making fun of Steve. He’s simply frowning now, staring at the road like Steve isn’t even there.

“You know,” Danny says suddenly. “It’ll all be fine. Don’t worry about it, she’ll come around.”

Steve stares at Danny for a long while. And despite everything he can almost feel all the tension that’s been building up steadily drain out of him.

“Was that… was that supposed to be the Danny Williams comforting pat-on-the-back speech?”

Danny glances at him briefly. “Yes. Why? You got a problem with it?”

“No, it’s fine. I guess.” Steve shrugs.

“Because I’ve never gotten any complaints before,” Danny says.

“I guess I was expecting something a bit more personalized. Not just something you got out of a cheer-your-partner-up-in-five-words-or-less pamphlet.”

Danny snorts, “It’ll be fine, _Steve_! Don’t worry about it, _Steve_ because _Catherine_ will come around.” Danny finally turns his head completely to give Steve an almost gentle look. “There. Personalized enough for you?”

Steve smiles for the first time in days, and then shrugs as soon as he feels the expression tugging at his lips. “Slightly better.”

 

By the time they’ve interrogated and arrested the suspect (without any, what Danny would call, unnecessary violence,) Steve is actually convinced this day could have gone a lot worse. Danny’s actually looking at him when they talk now, and he’s using actual words instead of random grunts. Steve’s counting it as one big win.

“Do you want to grab a bit to eat later?” Steve asks when they get back to HQ.

Danny looks at him for a couple of seconds before answering. “Sure. But no pizza and no Chinese.”

Steve can live with those conditions.

\---

 

The next month goes by in a blur. Suddenly they’re swamped with case after case. It’s like all the state’s lowlife had a barbeque and decided this month was a great month to start some shit. It feels good though, the burn of exhaustion that you can only get after a completed job.

Steve doesn’t mind the work load, revels in it even, because slowly but surely it feels like everything is falling back into place.

Catherine calls him at least a couple of times a week. They mostly talk about the baby and about work, never about plans and never about their future. It feels good to be kept updated though - she even sends that sonogram to his cell phone one week.

He’s spending over 15 hours a day with his team, working with them and _living_ with them. Steve recognizes a lot of himself in Chin, in the way he loses himself in the job – recognizes a lot of his dad there too. Kono keeps getting better and better at what she does, keeps getting stronger too. And Danny’s – he’s lost most of that coldness from before.

“Just FYI…” Danny says, and it would’ve startled Steve out of staring at the side of Danny’s neck, had he not been trained for years and years to not make involuntary moves. Ever.

“… And you can do with this piece of information whatever you want.” Danny continues, never taking his eyes off his computer screen. “You can even forget I said anything, I’m just throwing this out here.”

“Please feel free to get to the point any day now,” Steve says, nervously flicking his gaze down at the paper he’d been reading, before flicking up again at Danny.

“I’m not gonna be the one to make the first move again.”

Steve kinda flushes before he can remember that SEALs aren’t supposed to do that either.

They’re talking about this now?

Danny is looking straight at him. Surely he’s not really expecting Steve to answer that… right? To say: _I know Danno, I screwed up_ or maybe even _so I should kiss you next time then?_

Kono walks in, telling them the suspect confessed and they can finally go home, right before Steve can open his mouth and be amazed at what he managed to blurt out this time. Bless her little heart.

“Everyone can go home,” Steve announces, getting up from the couch in Danny’s office.

Kono sags against the doorframe in relief. “Thank God.”

“I don’t expect you back until Monday.” Steve repeats when Chin walks into Danny’s office too.

“So we’re having team meetings in here now?” Danny asks.

Chin ignores him and says: “I wasn’t planning on coming in tomorrow,” he winks before taking off. “Have a good weekend you guys.”

Steve doesn’t blame them for all but running out of there after he gave them the okay. They haven’t had any free days in over two weeks and Steve has started worrying for everybody’s mental health by this point.

“You should head home.” Steve says, hesitates and lingers in Danny’s doorway.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” He catches Steve’s eye and grins, “Internet connection is faster in here than at home.”

“I hope you’re not watching porn on there.” Steve frowns. “I’m pretty sure they keep a record of everything we do on these computers.”

“Nope, just making sure some stuff gets shipped to my place.”

“As long as you’re not sending yourself porn it’s all good.” Steve shrugs, walking out with a little wave.

 

\---

 

It’s really no surprise that he ends up at Danny’s place on Sunday, instead of relaxing and unwinding at his place. After leaving the office on Thursday afternoon he’s done nothing more than sleep and feel like he’s coming out of his skin.

Steve’s raised fist lingers a little in front of Danny’s door before he makes up his mind and quickly knocks. Christ, he hasn’t been there since – well.

Danny opens the door, wearing a _regular shirt_ and shorts. Steve stares for a second.

“No.” Danny snaps, “You cannot come to my apartment on a Sunday and mock my clothing. You either close your mouth and be allowed inside, or you laugh at me and get the fuck out.”

Steve pointedly closes his mouth.

“Alright,” Danny says after another moment, “Please come in.” He steps aside and lets Steve walk in.

“Wow, are these – are there more boxes in here than usual?” Steve asks, forgetting all about the lame excuse he’d built up in his head to present to Danny, as an explanation for why he was being the sort of boss who intruded on his team on a Sunday.

“Yeah, this is the stuff I had shipped over. My mom had it in storage.” Danny says, going back to rifling through one of the boxes.

“What stuff?” Steve asks.

Danny holds up a chewy-toy. “Gracie’s old baby stuff.”

Steve smiles at the stuffed, bright pink unicorn sticking out of the box Danny is looking at. He picks it up and squeezes it - it makes a weirdly high pitched sound.

“Oh, I do not miss that little fucker.” Danny shakes his head.

“Why did you have it sent these boxes sent all the way out here? Does Grace need it again?”

Danny rolls his eyes. “Yes, Grace was suddenly feeling extremely nostalgic for that time when she was 6 months old and wanted to see all her old palls again.”

“Unlike what you might think of me, I _am_ able to detect sarcasm, you know.”

“Nice detecting.” Danny smirks.

“Seriously though…” Steve says, “Is Rachel pregnant or something?”

“What? No.” Danny splutters, “Look, Rachel has been asking me for a while now to take this stuff out of storage so she can store it at her place because God knows they have enough room there anyway, and she’s sentimental like that. So I figured now would be a good time with you – with _your_ baby coming.” Danny shrugs, “I thought maybe you could look through the boxes and pick out what you like. I’m sure Grace wouldn’t mind if Uncle Steve’s baby played with her old toys.”

“Danny,” Steve says, looking down at the unicorn and squeezing it again. “Thanks, that’s really nice.”

“Don’t mention it, it’s nothing.” Danny makes a face to go with that statement.

Steve hesitates. “I can’t take this though, Danno. I know it might look like I’ve been talking to Cath a lot lately, but it’s still – I mean, it doesn’t look like I’ll be a really big part of this baby’s life, you know?.”

Danny frowns at him. “But you have rights, Steve. Parental rights. And they can’t just keep this baby from you. I mean, you even have the governor on your side. We’ll figure something out.” Danny claps him on the back and moves on to the next box.

Steve doesn’t have it in him to tell Danny that he isn’t sure if that’s such a good idea. Because this is Danny, the man who’d follow his daughter to hell and back if he had to. If he knew Steve might think this kid would be better off without it’s daddy, he’d just interpret that as cowardice or something.

“That’s… thanks, man.” Steve finishes, giving Danny a smile he can’t really feel.

 

\---

 

And that’s how it starts.

It sort of sneaks up on Steve. He doesn’t realize it’s happening at first and that’s why he doesn’t really have a game plan for it either. He’s supposed to be prepared for many things in life, but Danny Williams has just never been one of those things he came equipped to handle at all times.

Steve’s an idiot for seeing the donating of Danny’s daughter’s old toys as just Danny’s way of saying: _I accept your impending fatherhood, and I accept your baby into this little circle we like to call family._ It’s never _just_ what it seems.

Because then suddenly Danny starts getting weird about names.

“Suspect’s name is Lea Clark, she was last seen in-”

“Hey, Lea’s a pretty nice name for a baby girl, right Steve?” Danny interrupts Kono.

Steve, just like the rest of the team, looks at Danny like he’s grown an extra head.

“I’m just pointing it out,” Danny shrugs. “Please continue, Kono.”

It also starts happening even more randomly, like when they’re on a stake-out. “I always really liked the name George, for a boy, you know? But Rachel wanted to go with _Jackson_ , if the baby came out being a boy. I also thought Daniel would have been pretty nice, to have a _junior_ walking around somewhere. Steve’s a good name.”

By this point Steve is downright staring at Danny.

“You could call him Steve or Steven, if it’s a boy.”

“What?”

“Stephanie if it’s a girl,” Danny shrugs and goes back to digging already grease-stained fingers into the bag of chips and chewing on them loudly.

 

It takes a baby-name book lying around on Danny’s desk to really make Steve start to _wonder_ though.

 

Steve just shrugs it off and adds it to the long list of _Reasons why Danny is sort of insane_ , that has been growing steadily in his head after the no-pineapple on pizza thing. There’s a breaking point for everyone though, and Steve’s hit when Danny drags him into a store to, honest to god, look at baby clothes.

 

“Danny, what are you doing?” Steve asks Danny, right there in the maternity clothing isle.

Danny rolls his eyes and shakes the onesie he’s holding in his hands in front of Steve’s face. “I’m giving you useful information here, is what I’m doing. Would it kill you to just shut up and actually listen to it, huh?”

“No, Danny.” Steve pinches the bridge of his nose. “I mean what are you doing with _all of this_. What’s with the _caring_ about-”

“What are you talking about, of course I _care_.”

Steve holds up his hand. “Let me finish, I mean that it just feels like you’re caring a bit _too much_ here. With the baby names, and the cribs and with the advice on what kinds of clothes this baby should be wearing and what kinds of schools it should be going to.”

Danny frowns. “I’m not caring too much… I’m just trying to give you some advice here.”

Steve sighs and tries to figure out what that frown _means_.

“What? You’re making it sound like a guy can’t be supportive about something life-altering that’s happening in his partner’s life!” Danny adds, rather loudly.

A lady trying to pick between a stuffed tiger and a walrus gives them a confused look.

“I know you Danny, and I know your brand of supportive-partner and while it’s great, it’s not usually _this_ enthusiastic, you know?”

Steve feels kinda bad when Danny flushes at that and drops the onesie he was holding.

“I’m excited, alright?” Danny shrugs, “Which is, by the way, something you should work on – your excitement.”

Danny picks up a different onesie and looks at it, that same ugly knot of his brow line appears and Steve just wants to run his thumb over it and never see again.

“Look,” Danny says, a little softer now, “Babies are the best, okay? They’re like these little bundles of joy that just constantly _need_ you. And they don’t care about what you do, as long as you feed them and hug them. You can fuck up as much as you like but at the end of the day you’re still a daddy and they still love you. It’s about as close to actual unconditional love as you can get.”

Danny is still too busy looking at the piece of fabric in his hands to look up at Steve.

“And I won’t get to experience being a father again myself – at least not the father of a _baby_ , so I’m kinda living vicariously through you here, okay? So you better not think about mocking me for it, or taking this away from me. That would be cruel even for a SEAL.”

“Danny,” Steve says, and there his body goes again, taking steps toward Danny he never consciously decided to take. Danny looks up at him with this resigned look that’s almost worse than the frown.

“Come on man, don’t say that. Why on earth wouldn’t you be a dad again?”

“Because I’m in love with a guy, maybe?”

And the face he’s pulling is probably supposed to convey something like _Duh, Steve, keep up_ or maybe even _Are you an actual idiot?_ The only thing Steve can see there is hurt though.

Steve marches over to Danny, right there in the middle of the _maternity section_ of the warehouse, and kisses him.

He clings to Danny, lifts his face and curls his fingers in the hair on the back of Danny’s neck.

Danny’s clinging right back, fisting his hands in the fabric of Steve’s shirt and pulling him further down until Steve stumbles ahead and Danny bumps into a crate full of clothes, but they keep pulling each other closer, until Danny is halfway bent over the crate.

There are two pregnant women staring at them with wide eyes and a flush on their cheeks. Steve smiles at them apologetically and hauls Danny back up and _out_ of the store and away from prying eyes.

Steve's out of breath by the time they reach the car. It wasn't even a 100 yard walk but he's completely out of fucking breath because he keeps sneaking looks at Danny's shockingly red lips and Danny keeps touching _him_ \- holding on to his arm, sliding fingers over the fabric covering his back and it's _distracting_ , is what it is.

The drive to Steve’s place is fast and, thankfully, short. They’d almost been there when Danny had made Steve pull over and go into that store to _find clothes for Steve’s baby_ and to _tell Steve he’s in love with him._

Steve glances at Danny in the driver’s seat. He’s completely silent, but anything but still. He’s drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, humming a tune Steve can’t place and by the time they’re driving down Steve’s street he’s pretty sure he can hear Danny whisper: _come on, come on_.

 

They don’t really make it out of the car.

Steve just wanted to slide his fingers over Danny’s wrist because he’s been wanting to do that for _weeks_ now, but then they’re sliding up and up, over Danny’s bicep and over his neck to tangle in hair and pull Danny up for a kiss.

He’s not sure how long they stay out there, just kissing and tugging at each other, but his lips are numb and his upper body sore from twisting and turning awkwardly by the time Danny pulls back and leans into the driver seat. His eyes are closed and he’s scrubbing a hand over his face, breathing rapidly.

Steve reaches out again, but Danny pushes his hand away. Steve frowns.

“Don’t give me that face, Steven. Just – just give me a second.” Danny’s voice sounds completely wrecked and fuck if that’s not the hottest thing Steve’s ever heard.

No way in hell is Steven going to allow Danny to come in his pants in a _car_ when he has a perfectly fine ( _more than fine_ ) bed not even a few steps away – okay, fine, it’s a lot of steps, but they can get there in under a minute if they run, is his point.

He tells Danny just that, lets his hand trail over the inside of Danny’s thigh as he speaks, and watches Danny scramble out of the car like the thing’s on fire. Steve gets to the front door first, doesn’t wait for Danny to catch up and runs straight upstairs.

Steve’s already taken off his shirt and is in the middle of shedding his pants when Danny laughs from the hallway. It’s a sort of breathless laugh so Steve lets it slide.

“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to,” Danny says, “But you’re expecting to get naked with me when you’ve not even bothered to buy me dinner yet?”

Steve pulls Danny into the room and into his arms, immediately bending down to kiss his neck.

“I’m not – I’m not _easy_.” Danny finishes with a throaty moan

“You looked pretty easy in the car.” Steve mumbles into Danny’s ear “You looked like you were about five seconds away from creaming your pants.” Steve slides his hands down to cup Danny’s ass and suddenly Danny’s roughly shoving him onto the bed.

“Okay. Enough with the talking.” He declares. “And enough with the clothes.” He quickly starts tugging at his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

A dozen images cross Steve’s mind at the same time. Images of slowly peeling Danny’s clothes off his body, and of running Danny’s tie through his finger before tying him to the bed with it, attack Steve’s brain cells until his eyes roll back in his head. The images are all followed by a chorus of _next time, next time_ and Steve growls while he pulls Danny onto the bed and on top of him.

“Caveman.” Danny accuses, though he doesn’t sound like he minds.

“Easy.” Steve replies immediately. And he _definitely_ doesn’t mind.

They stay like that, with Danny on top of Steve, just rutting together and kissing until it’s _so much_ , but never enough and Steve’s afraid he might lose his mind over how good it really feels to be teetering around the edge with Danny.

“Tell me you’ve been thinking about this,” Danny rasps in his ear, “’Cause I’ve been thinking about this for months.”

Steve lets his hand slide down to Danny’s ass to pull and knead and he knows he could pull and push Danny into the rhythm he wants him to.

“Tell me,” Danny repeats before biting down on Steve’s neck, just below his ear.

“Since forever – since forever.” Steve mumbles, sliding his hands up again to curl around Danny and pull him closer.

It doesn’t take long for Danny to come, needy little whine erupting from the back of his throat while he spills in between their bodies. Steve helplessly follows suit, digging fingers in Danny’s back and gasping in lungfuls of air.

“Shhh,” Danny is whispering, leaning up on elbows and stroking fingers over Steve’s cheeks, his nose and forehead. “Shhh.”

And Steve feels like he should protest to that, wants to say he’s doesn’t need Danny fretting over him like that, because it’s making his inside flutter and his heart rate go up instead of allowing it to go down again – but it’s not like he can actually form any words just yet.

Danny’s still humming, these soft little noises coming from his throat, so Steve just nuzzles there, let’s his nose and his mouth sweep over the warm skin of Danny’s throat. “Stay.” He mumbles.

“Believe me, wouldn’t be able to move even if I tried.” Danny huffs out, the words making the skin of his throat vibrate. Steve could happily set up camp right there.

 

\---

 

“Stop it,” Danny says but there’s no real heat in his voice.

He’s sitting on the edge of Steve’s bed, trying to get his shoes back on while Steve keeps trying to pull him back into the bed, fingers moving over the warm skin under Danny’s still open shirt.

“Not doing anything,” Steve mumbles because he’s still exhausted and Danny is crawling out of his bed at an ungodly early hour.

“You’re distracting.” Danny tells him, and is it Steve’s imagination or did a night in bed together just render Danny docile because there’s still no trace of his usual snarl in those words. Instead, Danny turns over and kisses him.

“Look at you, all pleasant and stuff, first thing in the morning,” Steve grins, pleased.

Danny rolls his eyes and goes back to getting dressed.

“Remind me again why I put up with you?” Danny asks, smiling when he stuffs his tie into his back pocket instead of putting it on. “And don’t even give me that look. The tie is all wrinkled and messed up from where you _pulled_ at it last night, this is not the doing of your magic Hawaiian cock making me blend in.”

“Oh my fuck,” Steve swears, “I can’t believe you just said that.”

Danny gives him a filthy grin and kisses him again. “See you on Monday, babe.”

Steve watches Danny walk out of his bedroom and the bed feels suddenly ridiculously big for just him by himself.

 

Steve doesn’t intend to intrude on Danny and Gracie’s weekend together. He intends to stay home and put his free time to good use by getting back to cleaning out all the old crap out of his dad’s, and his and Mary’s old bedrooms. He wants to turn one of them in a guest bedroom and the other in a baby room.

The thing is that he’s got every intention of doing it too. It’s 10 AM and he’s already gone for his morning run, gotten breakfast and showered – and now he’s standing in the doorway of his old room, a garbage bag in one hand and a box in the other, but he just kind of freezes. He looks around in his old room, but can’t bring himself to actually step inside and take all his childhood memories and put them in a _box_ or a _bag_.

He puts the stuff down on the floor. Suddenly, he remembers the bullet hole right above his fridge that he never fixed, so he starts on that first.

Then he remembers something funny Chin told him the day before, right in the middle of the job, so he has to get down from the ladder and text Danny. He stands there in the middle of his kitchen, staring at his phone for a good seven minutes before he realizes that Danny’s probably too busy to reply right away. So he puts the phone on vibrate and puts it in his pocket so he can feel it, if Danny replies, over the sound of the power tools.

By the time he’s finished and cleaned up, it’s time for lunch and still no word from Danny.

It’s going to be a long weekend.

 

\---

 

Steve gives up on trying not to intrude on Danny’s weekend Sunday evening.

When he gets there, Danny’s standing outside with Grace hanging from his arm. They’re talking to some guy. Steve wonders why Grace is still there. It’s past 8 already, and doesn’t Rachel usually come pick her up at 6 or something?

Danny’s eyes crinkle when he laughs at something the stranger says. Steve parks the car and Danny places his hand on the guy’s shoulder and squeezes. Not a stranger then.

“Steve!” Grace sees him first when he walks up to them from the car. She’s grinning up at him, but she still sticks to her daddy’s side, shyly, like he’s used to by now.

“Steve?” Danny repeats.

“Hey Danno. Good evening Grace.” Steve says, saluting her because it always makes her giggle.

“What are you doing here? Did HQ call?” Danny looks at him confused; nothing like the grin he gave this other guy – who’s still standing there, just looking at Steve amusedly.

“Ah no, I just thought I’d drop by…”

Danny gives him a bit of a look.

“Hi,” Steve says, turning to the guy, “Commander Steve McGarrett.” He can see Danny roll his eyes at him.

“Kevin Wright.” The guy says, reaching out a hand to shake Steve’s.

“So, how do you know Danny?” Steve asks.

“Oh, me and Dan go way back.” Kevin smiles, “But I must admit I’m mostly here for the little one.”

Kevin picks up Grace and she squeals in delight.

“Uncle Kevin!” she shrieks, when he twirls them around.

“Alright, alright.” Danny says holding up his hands, “Enough Kev, you’re gonna make her sick.”

“Uncle Kevin?” Steve repeats.

“Yeah – uncle Kevin. What? The accent didn’t tip you off there? You thought me and Grace went around talking to random British tourists because we miss Rach?”

It sort of irks Steve how relieved he feels right now.

“Okay, little one, I’m taking you home, okay?” Kevin says. Grace nods and barrels back over to Danny the moment Kevin lets her down again.

“I’m gonna miss you, Monkey.” Danny says into her hair. “Danno loves you, don’t forget.”

“Love you too, daddy.” Grace tells him when she reaches for Kevin’s hand. “Bye, Steve.” She kind of hides in Kevin’s side a little when she gives Steve a shy little wave.

Steve doesn’t know why she’s always so scared around him.

Steve turns around to ask Danny if she’s said anything to him about it or something, when he sees the heart-broken look on Danny’s face. Steve feels like he just got punched in the chest.

Danny doesn’t go back to normal until Grace turns around the corner, and even then Steve can tell it’s just a front he’s putting up.

“Hey,” Steve says helplessly, reaching for Danny and holding on to his sleeve like Grace was doing earlier. Steve thinks Danny must just bring this sort of behavior out of people. “Sorry for dropping by like this, I should’ve called.”

Danny shrugs. “Since when do you call before barging into my life?”

“So I can come in then?” Steve smiles softly.

“You’re not gonna be a lot of help to me from out there, are you?”

Steve waits for Danny to close the door behind them, before he closes his arms around Danny in a loose hug. Danny accepts the hug for a minute, curling his fingers in Steve’s hair and squeezing before stepping out of his embrace with a mumbled, “Okay, enough of that, geez.”

Steve stays the rest of the night, bitches about Danny’s pull-out bed but falls asleep in the middle of the movie they’d been watching anyway. He wakes up a couple of hours later, all the lights out and Danny snoring softly beside him. Steve rolls closer to Danny and when he puts his arm around him, Danny grabs his hand and pulls him even closer with a softly mumbled: “Babe.”

 

Danny wakes him up with a pillow in the stomach and a kiss on the lips.

“We’re gonna be late.” He says.

“I’m still tired,” Steve mumbles, sitting up and, upon finding out that Danny’s already dressed, trying to suppress the feeling of disappointment.

“How can you still be tired after ten hours of sleep,” Danny rolls his eyes before going on with straightening up all of Grace’s toys that are covering most of the available surface of Danny’s apartment.

Steve’s about to reply when Danny holds up his finger to shush him. “Don’t you dare blame my bed. You snored my ears off the whole night – you can’t give me any bullshit about my mattress, okay?”

“Are you sure that was snoring you heard and not me wailing in pain and discomfort?”

Danny flips him off and makes him breakfast.

 

Steve drives them to the office. Danny gives him a face when he keeps his hand on Danny’s thigh for most of the ride. The face only succeeds in making Steve grin and squeeze the warm body under his palm even harder.

“You’re not gonna do this in the office now too, right?” Danny sighs – but he’s kind of smiling too.

Steve shrugs, “Maybe.”

“This is not a safe way to be driving, by the way.”

“We’ve done so much worse.” Steve snorts.

“ _You_ ; you’ve done so much worse.”

“Glad you agree then,” Steve squeezes Danny’s thigh again.

 

It takes a grand total of three minutes for Kono to notice and say, “You two got some last night, didn’t you?”

Steve scowls at how this image he has conjured up of a sweet and innocent Kono keeps getting trampled on every time she takes out a suspect or talks about _getting some_.

Then her eyes widen and she’s pointing between them and saying. “Wait. Together?”

Danny groans and covers his face with his left hand. “How did she do that?” He growls in Steve’s direction.

Steve shrugs, “Maybe it’s some of that voodoo running through her veins.”

She ignores that and does this little skip thing: “Don’t get me wrong – I’m just really happy for you two.”

Then she actually hugs them and Steve thinks Danny might be having a small panic-attack from the way he turns completely red and drags Steve into his office as soon as Kono lets go of him.

“Fuck,” he hisses as soon as the door closes behind him. “Just… fuck!”

“Come on Danno, it’s just _Kono_ \- it’s not that bad.”

“It’s not that bad?” Danny repeats, eyes wide, “ _We_ haven’t even talked about this yet and now Kono-” Danny stops abruptly.

He’s narrowing his eyes as he looks through the window. Steve turns around to follow his gaze and sees Kono and Chin high-fiving. Really, that’s a bit childish now, isn’t it?

“-and Chin-” Danny continues through gritted teeth. “-know about it.”

Steve shrugs because he’s not really sure what to say to that.

Danny frowns at him funnily and Steve feels more uncomfortable being looked at like that by Danny than he did being found out by Kono – and isn’t that just sort of messed up?

“Please stop giving me that face.” Danny shakes his head, but he doesn’t say any more. He sits down behind his desk, opens the file that was waiting for him and starts talking about the case they’ve got ahead of them instead.

Steve nods and gets his own files out and by lunchtime they’ve got a whole list of suspects.

 

\---

Of course it doesn’t go away that easily.

\---

 

“We’re gonna have to talk about this one way or another,” Danny mumbles into his pillow.

The morning sun is slowly making his way through Steve’s open windows, the rays making Danny’s back appear almost golden and Steve rolls his eyes at himself for being sappy. He does reach out to trace circles over all that skin though, dipping into the small of Danny’s back and reaching underneath the blankets pooling there.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you changing the subject every time I try to start a conversation about this. I notice these things, Steve. I’m a _notice_.” Danny continues, rumbling low in his chest when Steve continues stroking his skin.

“Do not,” Steve sighs softly, still tired from too little sleep and too much adrenaline running through his veins.

“Prove it. Talk then.” Danny mumbles, rolling over to face Steve. Steve’s hand slips down to Danny’s hip.

“What?” Steve asks, “There’s nothing to talk about...” He leans down to kiss Danny.

Danny kisses him back for a second before pulling back, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. There’s just no need for us to talk when we could be doing much nicer things instead...” Steve drawls.

Danny’s jaw sets and he rolls out of the bed.

Well, fuck.

Steve reaches for Danny but he’s already out of the bed and putting back on all his clothes. He’s shrugging on his shirt when he sits down on the side of the bed heavily, rubbing his face tiredly. It’s typical Danny behavior - to put on clothes to have an argument. Like he’s a much too decent person to do it in the nude like normal people do.

The muscles in Steve’s abdomen tighten in something like worry.

“Okay, so I probably should have started with this - but I kind of assumed you got it, you know?” Danny starts.

The tension in his shoulders is obvious.

“What, Danny?” And _fuck_.

“I’m not looking for a fling, okay? I don’t do casual, I’m not wired that way - and besides, I’m getting way too old for that shit. I have a daughter to think about man, I can’t have her get attached to people who aren’t serious about it, right?”

Steve frowns and sits up, “Come on, Danny. Does it look like this is just a _fling_ to me?” He knows it’s probably not enough, but he doesn’t know how else to say it. He’s not good at juggling words together like Danny is, make what he’s trying to say come across clear without sounding like a total loser.

“At the moment it kind of does, Steve.”

Steve groans tiredly.

“Because I’m _bad_ at the talking bit, Danny! I’m much better at the other stuff.” Steve’s motioning to the rumpled up bed. “Look; last time we _talked_ , you ended up storming out of your own apartment and not speaking to me for a week, so I’m sorry if I’m not really confident in our ability to _talk about this_.”

Danny turns to face Steve, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“When you kissed me!” Steve rushes out, “That first time... and I told you about Catherine and you _stormed out_.”

Danny’s turning a bit red now. “I thought you didn’t want me back then.”

“Why would you think that? I kissed you back!”

“I thought you were just being your old _Steve_ -self by telling me to back off, because you were having a _baby_ with your _girlfriend_!”

“She was never my girlfriend.” Steve groans.

They stay silent for a while, Steve looking down at his knees and Danny playing with the hem of his shirt.

“I didn’t - I didn’t want to come between you guys. That’s not right, Steve.” Danny explains, much more calmly now.

And if this isn’t just grand. What Danny is basically saying, and Steve’s gotten pretty good at deciphering Danny-talk over the last year, is that they could’ve been doing this for _weeks now_ , but they haven’t, because they’ve both been too busy thinking about non-existing problems.

“And I thought,” Steve says, sliding over to where Danny’s still sitting on the edge of the bed, plastering himself over Danny’s back. “That you didn’t want all the extra baggage I suddenly had. Baby on the way, baby momma I’m going to have to deal with for the rest of my life...”

Danny groans, but he doesn’t pull back when Steve leans his chin down on Danny’s shoulder.

“You have to stop thinking. You do it all wrong.” Danny says, not quite able to hide a little smile. “Also, please never ever use the words _baby momma_ ever again.”

Steve laughs. “So that was it, right? The talk? No more talking now... right?”

“Oh just look at you,” Danny rolls his eyes, “You look like you’re about to have a stroke and this, my friend, was an easy conversation, believe you me. I’m gonna have to twist your arm for everything, aren’t I? To make you tell me you love me, to make you ask me to move in with you, thank God we can’t get married because that would definitely make you sweat buckets”.

“Imagines that, us being two adults, _talking_ about our emotions.” Danny continues, undisturbed.

Steve stares.

“Oh come on,” Danny mumbles, “I was joking, quit looking like you want to run away on me.”

“I love you,” Steve blurts out. “You don’t have to twist my arm for me to say that...”

“Okay, you giant sap – okay.” And Danny looks nervous now, he keeps combing his shaky fingers through his hair.

“Now take those clothes back off and crawl back into bed before it’s actually morning and we have to go and pick up Grace and go swimming like you promised her you would.”

Danny gruffly starts stripping, muttering things under his breath Steve can’t begin to decipher. And when Danny slides under the blankets and puts his hand on Steve’s chest, Steve wonders if he can feel how his heart is still beating out of control.

 

 

EPILOGUE

Steve gets the call on February 29th. Like that day isn't messed up and confusing enough all by itself, it's now also the day the mother of his child decided to call and tell him their baby was born - a week ago.

"Christ, Catherine, it took you _a whole week_ to call me about this? What in the hell could've been more important than calling me? - For seven whole days?!"

Steve knows he's got to be careful, because Danny's right there and there's no doubt in his mind that Danny will come over, snatch the phone out of his hands and yell at Catherine until she never calls him _again_.

Steve turns his back to Danny and – quietly - hisses into the phone. "That's no excuse, goddamn it."

Danny's standing behind him in mere seconds though, soft touches on his bicep, trying to get Steve to turn around.

"I'll be there tomorrow. No. I will."

Steve hangs up on her before he remembers to ask for his baby's name.

"What happened?" Danny demands, all narrowed eyes and flailing hand gestures. "What did she say? Is the baby alright - did her water break?"

"Yeah, last week." Steve pinches the bridge of his nose.

Danny frowns. "What?"

"The baby was born last week."

Steve throws the cell phone on the table and sits down heavily on the couch.

Danny stays blissfully silent and unmoving. Steve feels his shoulders relax because of it. He doesn't think he could've dealt with Danny's rage right now when he's only barely able to hold down his own.

After a couple more minutes Danny sits down on the couch next to him and takes Steve's hand in his.

Steve tenses up again. He suddenly realizes that he'd probably prefer the rage over _this_.

He wants to be alone, he wants Danny to stop touching him and stop trying to comfort him. He's known for months now that Catherine is pulling all the strings and calling all the shots here, no matter how much that squeezes his chest until he feels like he can't breathe anymore.

Steve pulls his hand out of Danny's. "You don't have to do this. I'm fine."

"You're fine?" Danny asks, eyebrows raised and looking so goddamn sure of himself. "Well guess what, pal. I'm not fine. And if I'm not fine about this then you definitely aren't fine about this."

Steve blinks.

"What? You didn't think I'd be upset about this?" Danny asks, eyes wide and judging him. Steve doesn’t squirm (but just barely.)

"Do you know how long I've been looking forward to seeing this baby being born? The baby of a SEAL _and_ a Navy lieutenant? That kid must’ve ninja-rolled right outta there and taken out the doctor while it was at it. And now your crazy ex has made sure I missed that, so yeah. I'm upset. So _hold my damn hand_ and make it better, you ass."

Steve stares at Danny a little perplexed. Cause Danny might be kidding a little, but there's also that unhappy crinkle of his brow, the downward pull of the corners of his mouth and the fact that his hand is reaching for Steve's again.

"Okay," Steve says, taking Danny's hand back and pulling him into a hug. "Okay."

"Selfish." Danny mumbles against his shoulder.

They stay like that for a while, just silently sitting next to each other, still holding hands - and Steve just can't stop staring at their tangled fingers.

"Hey," Steve remembers suddenly.

"What?"

" _He_ , not _it_. It's a boy." And Steve suddenly has to grin at that. He has a baby boy.

"Yeah?" And Danny's grinning too, wide and happy enough to blind.

"Are you pleased?" Steve laughs. “Does my baby’s gender please you?”

Danny turns a little pink. "Oh, shut it." He grumbles.

Steve just shrugs and smiles. “Well, does it?” Because it’s kind of important.

“Yes. It pleases me.” Danny replies toneless. “Does it please you?”

"Yeah," Steve nods and sags a little into the couch, turning his head into Danny's throat.

"You're going out there tomorrow, then?" Danny asks. "To the mainland?"

Steve nods into Danny's throat and Danny hums. Steve feels it vibrate under his lips.

"Give him a kiss from Danno, okay?" Danny asks, squeezing Steve’s hand softly.


End file.
